Inn for Christmas

The usual ... girl goes home and runs into old boyfriend. They're still attracted to each other. Guy's old girlfriend is two-faced. Same old story line...

Twist: Girl is friends with a rock star - but I'm not really sure what that had to do with the story. Seemed like fluff. I guess the rock star helped bring guests? Never really explained why she was there ...

Jonna Walsh is just a tad bit too perky. Jesse Hutch is stiff. I guess that might be why they aren't "a-list" actors ... even on Lifetime.

I really enjoyed this movie. It is a warm, fun and entertaining Christmas romance, one of Lifetime's better movies this year, I thought. The story centers around Mandy (played by Jonna Walsh) and Lucas (played by Jesse Hutch), former high school classmates, who are both back in their hometown for the holidays and, more importantly for the plot, both competing to buy the same local Inn. The story is fun and cute with some entertaining dialogue, especially between Mandy and Lucas. It was quite a predictable story, of course, but it kept me engaged thru-out (i.e., it pulled me in from the start). What made this work on screen was the acting. Overall, it was brilliant. Walsh had this warm and happy vibe to her performance as Mandy, which was great. It was easy to connect with her character as a result. Hutch had a convincing performance too. Similarly, he had a sort of happy and kind (and a bit flirtatious) vibe to his performance. Together, it made for great chemistry on screen. It was one of the strengths of the film, I thought. The supporting cast too was outstanding. Jayne Eastwood (playing Gram) and Art Hindle (playing Ernie) were quite the cute couple, and Elena Juatco's performance (playing Jackie, Mandy's hometown friend) was fun to watch. The scenery, props and sets were charming and festive. The red dress Mandy wore to the Christmas party was stunning; it had a great cut, I thought. The performance (singing and dancing) at the Christmas party was great (a fun scene). It instilled a bit of festive spirit. All in all, this is a cute, fun and, more importantly, engaging Christmas movie. It is a nice new addition to Lifetime's 2020 lineup.

So happy to see something different on the seasonal movie front. Quite frankly I happened across it by chance and didn't intend to watch the entire movie. The cast kept me with it. Jesse Hutch (Lucas) and Jonna Walsh as Mandy are very good together but what really hooked me? Veteran Canadian actors Jayne Eastwood and Art Hindle. Yes--a simple story line but who cares? The actors (one and all) are excellent and make it work. Highly recommended!!

This movie was ok, but very slow and boring. I don't recommend it

Mandy Leeds (Jonna Walsh) is a regional manager at a hotel conglomerate in Miami. She's visiting her grandmother (Jayne Eastwood) for Christmas. She runs into old rival Lucas Menzino (Jesse Hutch) who stole her rental car. The rivalry continues when both end up chasing after the same local hotel.

Their rivalry needs better banter. They are too nice and too bland. There is no heat in the rivalry and the inevitable relationship. Instead, they seem to be low-simmering and stalling the inevitable conflict. Then there is the hotel. They need an interesting looking hotel. If they're fighting over it, it needs to be the central piece. This is Lifetime trying to fight back against Hallmark. They are certainly not doing anything more than that with this one.